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Say ȝes to the chausemles: Fashion in the Medieval West

5/3/2025

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Full-bodied houppelandes with voluminous sleeves worn with elaborate headdresses are characteristic of the earlier 15th century. Detail from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.
Medieval clothing was much more than simply a way to keep warm and decent: it was a statement about social class, wealth, and increasingly personal taste. Clothing meant something – and what people wore could change with a mood or the day or the family they were born into. Find out what medieval people were wearing, this week on Footnoting History!

Host: Kristin
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Christianity and the Roman Empire: ​Jerusalem to Constantinople

4/19/2025

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Marble Sarcophagus with Scenes from the Lives of Saint Peter and Christ
The second through fourth centuries C.E. saw a profound transformation, and profound upheavals, in the Roman world as a result of the rise of Christianity as a universal religion. Religion, flexible and syncretic, was a powerful source of identity for the Romans, from the temples of misty Britain to the mystery cults of the Middle East. The growing numbers of Christians, as a minority incapable of assimilation, were a disturbing anomaly… and a useful scapegoat.

​Host: Lucy
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The Archdiocese of Khanbaliq

4/5/2025

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Medieval map of the world centered on Asia
In the 14th century, Pope Clement V sent several missionary friars to Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing) to consecrate fellow missionary Franciscan John of Montecorvino the new archbishop of a new archdiocese that included most of China and India. Who was John of Montecorvino and why did the Latin Church feel an archdiocese was necessary in a place so far from Europe? Find out on this episode of Footnoting History.

​Host: Josh
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​​

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The Executioner in the Premodern West

3/22/2025

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Painting of a male executioner wearing red and holding a severed head aloft.
Both feared and respected, the executioner was indispensable to the premodern system of justice in the West.  The skill and the service he provided were essential to keeping order but: who were they, how did one become an executioner, and did he wear a mask? Find out this week on Footnoting History! 

Host: Kristin
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Cassandra Austen: Jane’s Adored Sister

3/8/2025

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Printed text of a letter from Jane Austen to her sister in 1796. It begins
Cassandra Austen is certainly not as famous as her author sister, Jane, but one thing is for certain: she was a massively significant presence in Jane’s world. In this episode of Footnoting History, Christine takes a look at Cassandra’s life and her close, protective, bond with the author of Pride and Prejudice.

Host: Christine
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Tales From the Tower of London II

2/22/2025

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Black ink drawing of Sir Thomas Overbury, a white man with a high forehead and small mouth wearing a high neck collar and Stuart-era robes. He sits at a desk writing with his right hand while his left elbow rests on a book and his left hand is on his cheek.
​In this episode, Kristin and Christine bring back a fan-favorite topic, the Tower of London! First, Kristin talks about Jewish connections to the Tower in the Middle Ages. Then, Christine takes you to the Stuart era to talk about the death of Tower prisoner Sir Thomas Overbury. 

Hosts: Kristin and Christine
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Coming Home from War in Ancient Greece

2/8/2025

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Photograph of an ancient Greek vase. It is black with an orange figure of a man in profile shooting an arrow to the right.
The Iliad and The Odyssey dramatize not only war, but how challenging it can be to return from war, and how war separates those who fight from their families and communities — even when there aren’t angry gods involved. Figuring out the history behind these beloved poems has a long and complicated history of its own. Scholars have used archaeology to find cities and palaces made famous by Homer. And historians debate the cultural meanings of war and trauma in cultures far removed from our own. The Return (2024) engages with many of these debates as it portrays Odysseus and Penelope’s familiar human story.

​Host: Lucy
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Hummel and Howe – Attorneys at Crime

1/25/2025

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Side-by-side images of Hummel and Howe. Both are in black and white, and both men are older white men with large mustaches, wearing dark suits. Hummel's is a photograph while Howe's is an artist's rendering.
At the height of America’s Gilded Age, two men William F Howe and Abraham Hummel practiced criminal law in New York City. These unscrupulous lawyers represented some of the most notorious of NYC criminals of the era using theatrics and loopholes to find “justice” for their clients. On this episode of Footnoting History, come learn all about their misdeeds and misadventures as we explore the underbelly of American history.

Host: Josh
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History for the Holidays IV

12/7/2024

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Late 1800s art depicting a blond boy carrying a tree with a blonde girl in the snow
As the year comes to a close, holidays abound! Join us for our newest episode in our series about history that ties to these festive times.

Hosts: Christine, Kristin, Josh
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A Royal Son: Eustace, Count of Boulogne

11/23/2024

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Medieval illuminated manuscript image of a genealogy tracing from Henry I to Henry II with Stephen and Eustace in the middle
When England's King Henry I died in 1135, his nephew Stephen usurped the throne. Had Stephen's reign been an accepted success, his son Eustace would have been recognized as the next in line to become king, but that did not come to pass. Here, Christine recounts Eustace's story, from growing up during a period called 'The Anarchy' to the aftermath of learning he would never wear the crown.

Host: Christine
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Thurkill’s Excellent Adventure: A Medieval English Peasant’s Tour of Hell

11/7/2024

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Medieval depiction of levels of hell, with Satan at the bottom right and souls being tormented throughout
Hundreds of years before Dante took us on a tour through the afterlife, there was Thurkill, an English peasant from the 13th century, who described his journey into hell and the edge of paradise. What was it like and what can we learn from his story? Come on a vision quest with Kristin, in this episode of Footnoting History! 

Host: Kristin​
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History for Halloween XI

10/26/2024

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Mid-1900s advertisement showing a man and woman putting a candle in a jack-o-lantern
Spooky season is here again! To celebrate we have another selection of historical frights just for you.

Hosts: Christine, Kristin, and Lucy
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How to Avoid the Death Penalty in Medieval England, Part II

10/12/2024

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Black line illustration of the layout of a medieval cathedral
Not everyone who received the death penalty in medieval England was actually killed. Picking up where she left off in our last episode, Samantha explores two more methods of avoiding execution: gaining sanctuary and buying pardons.
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Host: Samantha
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How to Avoid the Death Penalty in Medieval England, Part I

9/28/2024

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Black line drawing of a deacon being ordained
In medieval England, just because you received the death penalty for your crimes doesn't mean you necessarily had to actually die. Here, Samantha looks at two methods of avoiding having your sentence carried out: benefit of clergy and turning to outlawry.

Host: Samantha
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So You’ve Been Elfshot

9/14/2024

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An image of medieval text
Oh no, you’ve been shot by an invisible arrow and now you’re sick. What’s a person to do? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered this week with cures for those times when you’ve been elfshot, this week on Footnoting History. 

Host: Kristin
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Napoleon Bonaparte and the Malet Coup

8/31/2024

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Painting of Napoleon, cold atop a white horse, surrounded by cold soldiers and dead bodies lying in the snow in Russia
In 1812, while France’s Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was on a military campaign in Russia, he learned of trouble back home: General Claude-François de Malet and several co-conspirators had tried to take control of Paris and the government. Part of their plan centered around telling people that Napoleon had died - except, of course, he hadn’t. Learn all about the attempted coup from Christine in this episode.

​Host: Christine
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The Adventure of Cabeza de Vaca

8/17/2024

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Mono-color drawing of Cabeza de Vaca. He has a long round beard and mustache and wears a floppy hat
In 1527, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca set off as a part of the Narvàez Expedition to conquer Florida. The expedition ended in disaster for the Spanish after several encounters with Native Americans defending their lands. Using makeshift boats, Cabeza de Vaca and a handful of other survivors drifted across the Gulf of Mexico before landing near modern day Galveston, TX. Cabeza de Vaca and three other men would spend the next 8 years wandering what is now the Southwestern United States. Come learn about their voyages on this episode of Footnoting History.

​Host: Josh

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Medieval Midwives Beyond Myths

8/3/2024

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Illuminated manuscript image of a woman who has just given birth with midwives tending to the baby
Who were medieval midwives and what did they do? As imagined in novels and films, the medical expertise of such women might be secret, mystical, persecuted, or some combination of all three. In the archives, traces of their activities can be tantalizingly hard to find. This podcast looks not only at the history of midwives in medieval Europe, but at the history of how scholars have tried to recover and reconstruct that history.

Host: Lucy
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Tales from the Tower of London:​ Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and Ranulf Flambard

7/20/2024

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Illuminated manuscript image of a man falling head first from a tower
Since the Middle Ages, the Tower of London has fulfilled many roles including hosting the Crown Jewels. It has, more infamously, also been a prison for many who were viewed as threats or criminals–leading to no shortage of fascinating stories tied to this property. In this episode, Christine and Kristin each share one of their favorite stories about riveting historical figures who found themselves captive in the Tower: Gruffudd ap Llywelyn (son of a Welsh prince) and Ranulf Flambard (the Bishop of Durham).

​Hosts: Christine and Kristin
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Choose Your Own Adventure: The Many Accounts of the Execution of Anne Boleyn

5/18/2024

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Sepia artistic image of a man holding a sword aloft behind a kneeling Anne Boleyn
Historians rely a lot on primary source evidence to interpret the past. But what do you do when multiple sources tell a different story of what happened? Learn about the many accounts of the execution of Anne Boleyn and consider what they tell us about a major moment in English history with Kristin in this week’s episode of Footnoting History! 

​Host: Kristin
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